Detection of residues of some heavy metals in fish fillets in Egyptian markets

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Food Hygiene, Animal Health Research Institute, Dokki, Giza

Abstract

Fifteen samples of fish fillets were collected from different Egyptian markets to detect the residues of some heavy metals in them. The average weights of fish fillets samples were 250g. The samples were separately packed in polyethylene bag and sent to the laboratory for preparation and analysis. All equipment surfaces and utensils which used in this study were thoroughly cleaned with detergent, rinsed with water, dried and then rinsed with 2-propanol solution. The samples were stored at –2C prior to analysis. The mean levels of lead and cadmium in fish fillets collected from the Egyptian markets were 1.51  0.34 and 0.60 0.0.25 mg/kg; respectively. The concentration of lead in fish muscle were less than the permissible heavy metal limit in fish meat (2.0 mg kg) as stated by the World Health Organization, also these results were in line with the corresponding EU regulations. However the level of cadmium concentration was over than the heavy metal limits in fish meat (0.5 mg/kg) for the World Health Organization.

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